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Military keyword > derocchi > 101st Airborne > U S Army Capt Mark Derocchi searches for possible improvised explosive devices hidden on the side of a main road in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan 10, 2006
Military keyword > derocchi > Ruckersville native killed in action By Liesel Nowak Daily Progress staff writer Sunday, July 23, 2006 By Liesel Nowak Daily Progress staff writer A Ruckersville family is mourning the loss of their son and brother, an Army medic who was killed Saturday morning in Iraq by a roadside bomb. Adam Fargo, 22, died in Baghdad after his convoy struck an improvised explosive device, according to his father, Doug Fargo. He and his wife, Libby, got the news late Saturday afternoon from an Army chaplain and two officers stationed out of Fort Belvoir in Alexandria. Adam is also survived by his older brother, Jason, and his younger sister, Sarah. By Saturday night, the Fargos were surrounded by friends at their home on Cedar Grove Road where they were remembering Adam, who was a standout on the William Monroe High School soccer team. &#8220;We are very proud of him and his service &#8230; he was a top soldier at the time,&#8221; his father said. Adam, a medic with the 101st Airborne Division, was assigned to an engineer platoon that was responsible for keeping a thoroughfare clear of IEDs. His vehicle - the second in his convoy - struck one of the devices. Adam was the only fatality, though other soldiers were critically injured, Doug said. His son wasn&#8217;t much of a letter-writer, Doug said, but he used a satellite phone to call home somewhere between every 10 days to three weeks. The last time Doug talked to his son was the night of July 18. &#8220;He sounded very good,&#8221; Doug said. &#8220;I think he felt confident in his job. I know he was doing a good job because he was promoted to the rank of specialist.&#8221; In May, Adam had also been awarded a combat medic badge, a coveted award in the Army. Doug said his son received the award for &#8220;going over and above his job,&#8221; probably the result of helping a fellow soldier. Doug said that his son could not reveal many details about his duties. &#8220;But I&#8217;m very proud,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m an Army veteran myself, and so were both his grandfathers.&#8221; Adam is the second Iraq War fatality from the Charlottesville area. Cpl. Bradley Arms, a member of the Marine Reserves and a Charlottesville native, died Nov. 19, 2004, in Fallujah. A graduate of the Covenant School, Arms was also a soccer player, earning the nickname &#8220;The Rock&#8221; for his defensive skills. At least 2,558 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war in March 2003, according to a recent Associated Press count. Described as a &#8220;smart and athletic kid,&#8221; Adam Fargo joined the Army on Dec. 30, 2004, after deciding against college and working at local pizza joints, his father said. &#8220;He decided he wanted to make something of himself, get some training and so on,&#8221; Doug said. &#8220;He didn&#8217;t really discuss this with me until he was close to deciding. He had already taken the steps and talked to recruiters. I told him that it was a hard life, but it was a good life. I was all for whatever decision that he was going to make. We laid out the pros and cons and he made the decision. I didn&#8217;t get the impression that he had any reservations.&#8221; After months of training, Adam&#8217;s unit was deployed in November 2005. He came home in March for a three-week &#8220;mid-tour&#8221; break, his father said. &#8220;Adam and my son graduated from high school together. He was a top soccer player,&#8221; said neighbor and friend Rodney Kibler. &#8220;He was just a great kid. Serving his country, you know.&#8221; Doug said Adam talked about a future career in medicine after he returned from Iraq. &#8220;Once he knew he was going to be a medic, he really latched on to that,&#8221; Doug said. &#8220;He wanted to take more classes, looked into getting a nursing degree. He might have had his sights set farther out. When he was younger, he talked about being a doctor.&#8221; Contact Liesel Nowak at (434) 978-7274 or lnowak@dailyprogress.com. This story can be found at: http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP/MGArticle/CDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189322970&path=
U S Army Capt Mark Derocchi searches for possible improvised explosive devices hidden on the side of a main road in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan 10, 2006
101st Airborne > U S Army Capt Mark Derocchi searches for possible improvised explosive devices hidden on the side of a main road in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan 10, 2006
U S Army Capt Mark Derocchi searches for possible improvised explosive devices hidden on the side of a main road in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan 10, 2006
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